Today night at Radio City Music Hall, the night before she buries her God-Daughter, indeed, the night before she actually appears at her God-Daughters funeral. Aretha Franklin will do what she does. Get on stage and sing.
At a private (?) concert earlier this week, Aretha began the evening by covering Whitney Houston's "I Will Always Love You" and followed it with Gospel. Aretha said "Ladies and gentlemen, I'd like for you to share this moment with me in acknowledging one of the greatest singers that ever stood before a microphone," said Franklin. "This young lady's going home. She was kind. She was good. She loved her church. We want to say 'Thank you.'"
She wrapped up the seven minute tribute with, "Pray for her family, for her mother. She was a daughter, a wife, a Christian, a singer and a dear family friend."
On Saturday, she will go to the funeral and back on stage.
It reminds me of a friend of mine, I've known him for 25 years, but he is retired from advertising now. Whenever he'd come on a sales call. He'd start by telling a couple of jokes. Maybe a year ago he told me about his father dying, and my friend did the eulogy and in it, he told how on the day before his father, he was at the hospital and how he was lucid enough long enough to say to his son "Have I ever told you this joke…"
My point is, when tragedy strikes, we revert to what we know. It should be am interesting evening.